Darin Gantt

CHARLOTTE There were a lot of things to consider.

Trades. A ton of defensive difference-makers for a defense that could use them.

But for Panthers coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan, the decision to use their first-round pick on Arizona wide receiverTetairoa McMillancame down to one thing.

"The guy's a baller," Canales said Thursday night, moments after calling McMillan to tell him he was the No. 8 overall pick. "There's a simple way to look at it. Watch film, and the ballers show up. And they make plays in big moments and they're always looking to do something special."

For McMillan, that means making big plays.

In three seasons at Arizona, he caught 213 passes for 3,423 yards (16.1 per catch) and 26 touchdowns. At 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds, he has the kind of size to draw comparisons to the guys he idolizes, like Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Evans, or Keenan Allen.

Those are big shoes to fill. But he's a big target.

And for Morgan, it again boiled down to something quite simple. At that size, and with those hands, he's the kind of weapon they needed on offense, in a way to make them pass on other needs.

"He's somebody that we obviously really liked; we thought he could really add a different dimension to our offense," Morgan said. "And just add another playmaker to the offensive side of the ball. So, not only a great player, but he's a great kid and somebody that, Dave and I really value."

They're not the only ones.

McMillan said that he and quarterback Bryce Young had a "head start" on a relationship based on their shared background ("that Cali to Cali connection") and a recent chance to work together. He was also grateful that Young advocated for him to Morgan and Canales.

"I'm just fortunate, that he sat on the table for me," McMillan said. "That connection is gonna be something special. . . .

"He just told me that he's been sitting on the table for me, going into Mr. Morgan's office, going into coach Canales's office, and really just sitting on the table with me and telling them, hey man, we need to pick this guy. So, although I feel like I did what I needed to do to be in the position, I give credit to Bryce for vouching for me and, ultimately, for them taking a chance on me."

Of course, when you listen to Morgan and Canales talk about McMillan, it doesn't sound like they needed much convincing.

When asked if there was a moment when the two of them came to the realization that he was their guy, both of their faces lit up.

"I felt like it was about like every time we watched him," Morgan said. "We're just like, another great catch. And just the way that he's effortless, the way he catches the ball and he catches everything outside his frame, and he and he's just a great receiver that is super-fluid, his body control's some of the best I've seen in a while, so yeah, he's exciting."

"And, the one thing that that I really learned from Dan just through the process is the biggest challenge, which is all still new to me as a head coach, is to get into the horizontal comparisons of offensive players versus defensive players," Canales chimed in. "And when you start looking player for player and the dynamic way that they move, the dynamic way they play and having to try to compare them across different positions, apples to oranges, was really kind of where we came back in the process and kept putting him on.

"And then you're like really excited, and you almost can't turn the tape off. So it's like it stood out in such a special way that, you know, he made the decision easy for us."

McMillan was also here for a visit earlier this month, and Canales said the deeper they dug, the more convinced they became he was worth investing so heavily in.

And the more they thought about it, the more they were convinced that unless another team made a sensation offer, he was the guy they wanted.

"To be able to spend a little bit more time and just making sure that he was the right fit for our team, the type of players we're looking for," Canales said. "They love playing ball, they love to work on their craft. And it really shows up. Dan and I, just the last couple of days, as we're getting ready for this pick, we're just like nitpicking. So I put my receiver coach hat on, and just watched his pro day and watched his route-craft, the way that he can reduce his surface in the top of routes as a 6'4 guy, the way he comes back to the ball, some of the things that you look for as a great starting point for a receiver, giving us that good size element, the red zone target, a lot of things to be excited about.

"Something that was really cool for us to just come together on, and we kind of knew, unless somebody blew us out of the water with something, we weren't going to let our guy pass, so it was a great moment for us."